The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Internal combustion engines induce combustion of an air and fuel mixture to generate drive torque. More specifically, air is drawn into the engine through a throttle and is distributed to cylinders. The air is mixed with fuel and the air and fuel mixture is combusted within the cylinders to reciprocally drive pistons, which rotatably drive a crankshaft. Besides the reciprocally driven pistons, there are multiple moving components within the engine that enable and regulate the combustion process including, but not limited to, the intake and exhaust valvetrains.
In order to ensure proper operation and reduced wear of the internal components, lubricating oil is circulated through the engine. More specifically, an oil pump pumps oil from an oil pan through the engine. After the oil has been circulated through the engine, it collects within the oil pan. An oil filter is also provided in order to filter the oil before it circulates through the engine.
Oil pressure is typically monitored to ensure that it is within an appropriate operating range. More specifically, an oil pressure sensor is typically provided and is responsive to the oil pressure. An excessively high or low oil pressure can be detrimental to the engine components and can result from degraded oil, a change in oil viscosity, use of an inappropriate oil filter, a low oil level, mechanical hardware malfunction, among other reasons.